Snag: Cavs reviewing Irving-Thomas trade
That blockbuster NBA deal between Cleveland and Boston is stuck. The Cavaliers have some concerns about guard Isaiah Thomas’ health and reportedly are doing a “deep and thorough” review of the deal.
On Tuesday, the Cavaliers rocked the NBA by honoring All-Star guard Kyrie Irving’s trade request and dealing him to the Celtics — one of their biggest rivals — for Thomas and a package that included an unprotected 2018 first-round draft pick.
The Cavs are continuing to do a medical evaluation on Thomas, who injured his right hip last season and had to drop out of the Eastern Conference finals against Cleveland.
In exchange for Irving, the Celtics agreed to send Thomas, forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and the first-round pick they acquired from the Brooklyn Nets to Cleveland.
The Cavaliers and Celtics have until Wednesday to finalize the trade. If Cleveland isn’t
satisfied with its findings on Thomas, the club could scrap the trade. The Cavs could also request the Celtics give them another player or pick.
Mavericks center Nerlens Noel accepted Dallas’ $4.1 million, one-year qualifying offer.
ELSEWHERE Newgarden races to IndyCar win
Josef Newgarden passed teammate Simon Pagenaud and drove away to his fourth IndyCar series victory of the season Saturday night in Madison, Ill. Newgarden, the 26-year-old Team Penske driver from Tennessee, increased his series points lead over Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon with two races remaining in the 17-race schedule. Dixon was second,
0.6850 of a second back.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton equaled Michael Schumacher’s Formula One record of 68 poles, leading qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix from start to finish. Sebastian Vettel, who extended his contract with Ferrari by three years through 2020, was second. He leads Hamilton by 14 points. Soccer: The San Francisco Deltas dominated possession and outshot their opponent 29-10, but FC Edmonton escaped with a 2-1 victory in an NASL match at Kezar Stadium. Dagoberto scored the Deltas’ goal on a penalty kick in the 62nd minute.
In MLS play, Ola Kamara and Jonathan Mensah scored second-half goals and the Columbus Crew beat FC Dallas 2-1 for their fourth straight home victory. Lionel Messi missed a penalty kick, but rebounded by scoring his record 350th goal in the Spanish league and added one more in Barcelona’s 2-0 win at Alaves. WNBA: Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 20 points and hit Theresa Plaisance for a clinching three-pointer with 17.2 seconds left and the Dallas Wings, who are holding the eighth and final playoff spot, got a critical road victory, 83-78, over the Washington Mystics. In her second game back for Washington after missing six games with a thumb injury, Elena Delle Donne had 29 points and 11 rebounds . ... Tiffany Hayes scored 23 points and the host Atlanta Dream kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 79-74 overtime victory over the Indiana Fever.